The word mystery has a specific meaning when used in a religious context. It connotes a divinely revealed truth whose possibility cannot be rationally conceived. Rather, it must be divinely revealed and, even after its revelation, cannot be fully understood by the finite mind. The incomprehensibility of revealed mysteries derives from the fact that they are manifestations of God, who is infinite and, therefore, beyond the complete grasp of a created intellect.
The Holy Trinity certainly is at the heart of the Catholic mystery, and in this paper, I will examine one member of that Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Pneumatology
“Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.” – A 9th Century Gregorian Chant.
Pneumatology is the branch of Catholic systematic theology that studies the Holy Spirit. Pneumatology comes from two Greek words: pneuma, which means “wind, air, or spirit,” and logos, meaning “reason or teaching.” Combined and translated into English, pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity.
Pneumatology is primarily concerned with five questions: Who is the Holy Spirit, what is the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the other members of the Trinity, when and under what conditions can a believer receive the Holy Spirit, what does the baptism of the Holy Spirit mean, and what are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Who Is The Holy Spirit?
Catholicism asserts that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. Despite being distinct from the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is one in being, coequal, and coeternal with them. Said differently, the Holy Spirit shares the divine essence with the Father and the Son and is, therefore, God.
The Holy Spirit can be further understood as the Spirit of Truth, the Creator Spirit, and the Sanctifier.
Referring to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth is primarily predicated on two verses in John’s Gospel. In John 14:16-17, Jesus tells believers, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept because it neither sees nor knows it.” Again, in John 16:13, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.”
The Holy Spirit is instrumental in creation, as well. In Genesis, the creation narrative tells us, “The earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; the spirit of God [the Holy Spirit] moved over the waters.”
Finally, the Holy Spirit is understood as the sanctifier. To be sanctified is a process whereby one is made pleasing to God. This entails first being aware of one’s sins, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. “And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation.” (See John 16:8). Thomas Aquinas goes so far as to argue that “It is the Holy Spirit who establishes our friendship with God.” (Summa contra Gentiles, IV, 21, 11).
Holy Spirit And The Trinity
In order to understand the relationship among the Trinity, we must recognize two “processions” within God. The Son (Christ) proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This procession is not generative, however. Instead, it is understood that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son in what is called spiration. Spiration comes from the Latin word for “spirit” or “breath.”
To understand this conceptually, we must realize that the mind of God is creative. That is to say that God wills existence into being and sustains existence by His will. Using this presupposition as a point of departure, it can be stated that from all eternity, God the Father knows Himself. To know is the Logos, which is called the Christ. In knowing Himself, the Father loves (and this is the Holy Spirit) Himself. Several examples provide biblical support for spiration.
Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22).
Moreover, the Holy Spirit is “God’s love [that] has been poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5) and as the reciprocating love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father (John 15:26). Understood this way, we can say that the Holy Spirit is the mutual love of the Father and the Son; hence his name of Spirit, as the issue or term of God’s eternal love or act of will.
Receive The Holy Spirit
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38. In light of the foregoing passage, the Catholic Church asserts that the sacrament of baptism confers on the individual the Holy Spirit.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states it this way: “Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte ‘a new creature,’ an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature,’ member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
Some define the baptism of the Holy Spirit as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with the Body of Christ. The use of the word baptism can be misleading. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a sacrament but a heightened awareness of the Holy Spirit.
Not surprisingly, the expression “baptism in the Holy Spirit” is more commonly used in charismatic Christianity. It generally refers to an experience of an intensified awareness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Fruits Of The Holy Spirit
Faith in Christ often comes with a price. However, it also comes with gifts. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul enumerates seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Following the Latin Vulgate, the Catholic tradition has enumerated twelve gifts of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.
Conclusion
The foundation of the Catholic faith is the belief in the Holy Trinity. In this paper, I have provided an introduction to pneumatology, a field of study within theology that studies one member of that Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
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